NAB Morning Call

Monday 14th November 2022

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There was a trifecta of good news at the end of last week that sent equities rising, bond yields falling, commodities looking up and a chance for other currencies to gain on the US dollar at last. But will it last? That’s a question put to NAB’s Ray Attrill on this morning’s podcast. China announced some easing of COVID restrictions, Russia has backed out of Kherson and markets were still rejoicing with the fall in one month’s CPI read in the US. None of those translate to a fast track to a world that’s COVID free, with peace in Ukraine and price pressures alleviated. Could markets retrace their steps a little today after the euphoria at the end of the week, or will a positive meeting between President Xi and Biden later today add to the jubilation?

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Friday 11th November 2022

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US core inflation dropped to 6.3% in October, below expectations and down from 6.6% in September. NAB’s David de Garis joins Phil to talk through the market reaction, which has seen stocks soar, bond yields fall and the US dollar taking a big hit. Does this mean inflation has peaked? Dallas Fed’s Lorie Logan called it a ‘welcome relief’ but the message from other speakers overnight is that there’s still a lot of work to be done. In Europe the central bank seems to be upping its hawkish rhetoric, whilst the UK is still stuck with the uncertainty of a shrinking economy and a budget next week that will be more painful than restorative. 

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Thursday 10th November 2022

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It’s inflation day. The CPI print is out from the US late tonight Australia time. On today’s podcast NAB’s David de Garis talks about the impact if the number is a little higher than expected. The Fed’s John Williams said overnight that the news for the US is “mostly good”, suggesting longer-run inflation expectations have remained remarkably stable. No doubt his goal was to prevent an overreaction to the numbers tonight, which will be followed by a slew of other Fed speakers in the hours that follow. There’s also a discussion about China’s producer prices on the podcast. They’re falling. Could we see China started to export deflation again? Not if they keep locking cities down.

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Wednesday 9th November

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US equity markets have switched from being upbeat about the prospect of an end to China’s zero COVID to being upbeat about the outcome from today’s mid-term elections. NAB’s Ray Attrill also talks about the differences between Australian consumer and business sentiment and why the business outlook always seems a little rosier. He also discusses how one central banker at least reckons a recession will increase inflation, whilst there’s some hope that falling producer prices from China today might dampen inflation expectations a little, as more cheaper goods are shipped around the world. And Donald Trump has announced he will be announcing something important. Any idea what that might be?

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Tuesday 8th November 2022

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We didn’t see the expected turnaround in markets on Monday. Yesterday on the Morning Call we talked about how Chinese officials had denounced speculation that they were heading away from the Zero COVID road soon, so we expected a reversal to some of the optimism in markets at the end of last week. On Monday though, as NAB’s Taylor Nugent discusses, US equities continued to rise, with the Wall Street Journal reporting again that a turnaround in China’s policy could still be on the cards. Perhaps. Well, the Chinese trade numbers yesterday were a clear demonstration of the damage being done to the economy. Today eyes will be on the US mid-term elections and, if there’s strong support for the Republicans, whether one Mr Donald John Trump will stand for the Presidency. In the more immediate future, markets are preparing for the US inflation numbers later in the week.

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Monday 7th November 2022

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It seems likely we’ll see a reversal to some of the positive sentiment on Friday that saw equities and commodity prices rise, driven by the renewed hope that China was moving towards an end to their zero COVID approach. The official word over the weekend was that that was not the case. NAB’s Skye Masters says there was also a positive response to non-farm payrolls in the US on Friday, with a rising unemployment rate suggesting the labour market was easing and there would be less pressure on the Fed, supporting the case for a 50pc rise at the next FOMC meeting. But in Canada the labour market is as tight as ever, it seems, evidenced by rising employment numbers on Friday. 

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Friday 4th November 2022

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It could be the worst of times, or something even worse than that. The Bank of England painted two possible scenarios overnight, after raising rates by the expected 75 basis points. In scenario one, the bulk of their work is done and rates don’t move much higher. In scenario two, rates rise to 5.25% and the country faces a two-year recession. Talk about hedging your bets. NAB’s Ken Crompton says it shows the difficulties faced in the UK and Europe, in comparison with the US, where the Fed is fighting continued high consumption levels - evidenced by high imports in the Balance of Trade overnight – and resilience in the employment market. On that point, tonight’s non-farm payrolls will be eagerly watched. We also look at what to expect in today’s Statement of Monetary Policy from the RBA.

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Thursday 3rd November 2022

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Who’d have thought that a fourth 75 basis point hike by the Fed would see equity markets rally and bond yields down? As NAB’s Gavin Friend explains, the bounce didn’t last long, and it was driven by the term ‘cumulative tightening’, which markets took to mean the FOMC committee believed they could slow down while they assess the aggregate impact of the hikes so far. But in the press conference that followed Jerome Powell made it clear any slow down wouldn’t imply the terminal rate will be any lower, in fact it is likely to be higher than they’d been thinking in previous meetings. Where does the Bank of England go today? The expectation is a 75 basis point hike there too, but in very different economic circumstances. If they do go lighter touch they’ll be keen to emphasise this is not a dovish pivot, simply taking stock of where they are now.

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Wednesday 2nd November 2022

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The RBA has taken a slow and steady approach to interest rate hikes, so we can expect many more to come. Sally Auld says Governor Lowe said last night that the risks are more two-sided than they were a few months ago, and the bank needs to factor in the risk of the lag. It’s a very different approach being taken by the Fed, with a strong expectation that they will announce a 75bp hike tomorrow morning, reinforced by data showing a rise in job openings in the US. The optimism in markets yesterday afternoon that perhaps China was heading out of its zero COVID approach have been reversed, with newspaper reports suggested the opposite is the case and we can expect more lockdowns and the like.

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Tuesday 1st November 2022

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Today is the day of the race that stops the nation, but before the champagne flows there’s an RBA meeting to get through. NAB’s Tapas Strickland says the odds are on a 25bp hike today, but the board will be considering last week’s inflation surprise and yesterday’s retail numbers. So there’s an outside chance they will go higher. The FOMC meets later this week, and tonight’s JOLTs job openings numbers will be given some consideration. It’s a while till the next ECB meeting, but an inflation shock justifies last week’s 75 basis point hike and could justify a third such rise next time. And a soggy track – good news for a British horse this afternoon? 

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